the interior lives of women: the life and art of anna catherine wiley (1880-1958)

by Jordan Elizabeth Henry

In the early 1900s, Anna Catherine Wiley, an impressionist painter from Knoxville, Tennessee, rose rapidly to fame and descended just as quickly as a number of personal and professional losses culminated in a "mental breakdown" in 1929 that landed her in an institution where she would die 30 years later, having never painted again. ... Or at least that was the story as it was known to the few surviving family...

In the early 1900s, Anna Catherine Wiley, an impressionist painter from Knoxville, Tennessee, rose rapidly to fame and descended just as quickly as a number of personal and professional losses culminated in a "mental breakdown" in 1929 that landed her in an institution where she would die 30 years later, having never painted again. ... Or at least that was the story as it was known to the few surviving family members, artists, and historians who still know Wiley's name. But there's more to the story than the art community knows.

Jordan Elizabeth Henry was awarded the Ohio Arts Council's Artists with Disabilities Grant for FY 2022 to develop this piece.

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the interior lives of women: the life and art of anna catherine wiley (1880-1958)

Recommended by

  • Eric Matthew Richardson: the interior lives of women: the life and art of anna catherine wiley (1880-1958) by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
    “

    A fascinating and anarchic twist on the biographical play, it defies the typical conventions of theatre in the same manner that Wiley defied the social conventions of her time. It's a story not just about an artist carving her own path, but an honest interrogation of how we humans interact with our particular moment in history.

    But more than that, it's a commentary on the very act of creating a biographical tale. What role does the storyteller play? And how honest can they truly be?

    A fascinating and anarchic twist on the biographical play, it defies the typical conventions of theatre in the same manner that Wiley defied the social conventions of her time. It's a story not just about an artist carving her own path, but an honest interrogation of how we humans interact with our particular moment in history.

    But more than that, it's a commentary on the very act of creating a biographical tale. What role does the storyteller play? And how honest can they truly be?

    ”

Development History

  • Reading, Self-produced with Dr. Chris Williams, 2022

Awards

  • Covid Relief Grant
    Tennessee Arts Council
    Winner
    2022
  • Artists with Disabilities Grant
    Ohio Arts Council
    Winner
    2022